Break Before The Storm
by Kiryu68
Summary: With Stefan missing and no idea where to start looking,Damon and Elena have a tough time ahead of them. But will they find more than just Stefan? I'm not the best at summaries so please check it out :
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - I don't own the vampire diaries, I'm just a big fan and I love Delena. I can't wait to see where the third season goes with them :) for now, this is my version so I hope you enjoy and please review, let me know if I should carry it on :P also, this probably isn't the direction the show will go with Jeremy, which is why I'm trying it out** :)

...

'I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I need it.'

'I love you. You should know that.'

'I do.'

'You won't be seeing Katherine again.'

'She won't get far. You'll help me see to that.'

'I feel weird, different.'

'It's ok to love them both. I did.'

'Anna? Vicki?'

**One**

Jeremy stood, feeling shock rippling through his entire body as he glanced back and forth at his two former girlfriends, his two former girlfriends who were supposed to be dead. He closed his eyes tight for a moment, shook his head and opened them again. Anna and Vicki were still there.

'Jeremyy,' Vicki sang in an almost taunting voice.

Jeremy turned to her but could think of nothing to say in reply. What exactly was he supposed to say? He wanted to ask why she was here in his house when she was supposed to be dead but it didn't seem right.

'Jeremy,' Anna said suddenly in a more serious tone, causing him to start slightly and turn his attention back to hers. Her sharpness inexplicably helped him to find words again and spoke to her rather than Vicki.

'What are you doing here?'

'Wouldn't you like to know!' Vicki said, practically skipping past him to stand next to Anna.

'He's going to pick me,' she said confidently to the darker haired girl. Anna ignored her, keeping her focus on Jeremy.

'Yes I'd like to know,' he said, 'and what do you mean I'm going to pick you?' he added to Vicki who simply grinned at him and didn't bother to respond.

'We're one of the consequences,' Anna said simply.

'The consequences?' Jeremy repeated dumbly.

'Yes. The witch was informed,' Anna replied. Jeremy made a mental note to ask Bonnie about that later.

'So what do you mean by being ' one of the consequences?' he asked. Anna smiled.

'How are you feeling Jeremy?' she asked suddenly. Jeremy thought about it for a moment. He'd been feeling funny ever since Bonnie had brought him back to life and he was associating it with that exactly. Now he thought about it, he was feeling dizzy and tired, like he hadn't eaten or slept for days despite having been asleep before.

'Why does that matter?' he countered feeling annoyed.

'Jeremy?' said a voice suddenly from the other room. Jeremy turned to the doorway, startled and then back again to Anna and Vicki but they had gone.

'Alaric?' he called back dizzily. Ric came into the kitchen then, looking half asleep, his hair dishevelled and his clothes rumpled. He glanced around the kitchen in confusion and then at Jeremy.

'Who were you talking to?' he asked.

'No one,' Jeremy replied quickly. Alaric stared at him for a moment before shaking his head.

'Sure you're alright?' he questioned. Jeremy nodded.

'I was just getting something to eat,' he said grabbing an apple from the side. Alaric nodded but he didn't look convinced and disappeared from the kitchen. Jeremy bit into the apple, feeling hungry but it didn't do anything for him, he didn't want it. Tossing it in the bin he began to wander back upstairs, thinking back to Anna and Vicki, before they'd been killed, before Vicki had turned. Memories rolled through his mind, messed up and jumbled. Halfway to his room, he froze suddenly as he remembered something. Seconds later he was shouting down the stairs.

'ALARIC!'

...

Elena had been staring at the same spot on the floor for longer than she realized. She wasn't even seeing it as Katherine's words about Stefan replayed in her mind, over and over again.

Damon stayed quietly on the bed, having decided it was best not to disturb her until she was ready. He was still weak but he could feel his strength returning slowly and the bite on his arm was fading fast. Stefan had ensured his promise was fulfilled, had found a way to save his brother despite Damon's certainty that there was no cure.

But Damon, though grateful to his brother, couldn't help feeling furious at the same time for the choice Stefan had made. Because he knew exactly what Katherine had meant. If he'd have known the deal Klaus wanted to make with Stefan, Damon would have refused Klaus's blood even if the original had tried to feed him it from his arm. His humanity had grown enough now that he actually _cared _about the terror that he knew Stefan was capable of inflicting when intoxicated with human blood. He cared about what it would do to Elena, when she saw the darkest side of Stefan that she'd believed had ceased to exist since he'd turned.

Once he was recovered, Damon was fully prepared to hunt Stefan down and deal with him however he had to, to prevent the beast in Stefan from causing a tragedy. It would be Damon's thank you to Stefan for saving his life, by saving his in return. He was also determined to find a way to kill Klaus because he simply refused to believe that there was no way. Having just been cured of a werewolf bite that he'd been led to believe was fatal and incurable had fuelled Damon's belief even more. Right now though, he wanted to be here for Elena, when and if she needed him.

Elena didn't hate Damon. She didn't. She could easily be blaming him for this, but that wouldn't be fair. It wasn't Damon's fault that Stefan had chosen him over her. If anything she partly thanked Stefan for it. When she'd kissed Damon, when she'd thought she was about to lose him for good, she'd realised just how scared she was of living in a world where Damon wasn't there. Despite all he'd done, she'd always understood him and his reasons, had never truly been able to hate him no matter how she'd tried. Glancing at him now, as he rested on the bed with his eyes closed, she knew that a small part of her world would have shattered if Damon hadn't been saved.

After another moment, she finally decided to break the silence.

'What do you think Katherine meant by that?' she said, though her voice was barely more than a whisper that Damon would never have heard if he weren't a vampire with excellent hearing. His eyes fluttered open to meet hers and he pushed himself up onto his elbows to face her better.

'I'm not sure you want to know,' he said honestly. Elena shook her head at him, determination in her eyes.

'I do want to know,' she said firmly, 'no matter how bad and I can see that you know exactly what's going on.'

'I'm not entirely sure,' Damon countered, 'but I'm pretty certain that Stefan's paying for my cure by becoming whatever Klaus wants him to be.'

Elena winced.

'What would Klaus want him to be?' she asked hesitantly.

'Just like him,' Damon said grimly, 'I hate to say it but I expect human blood will involved.'

Elena shook her head more vigorously this time, wanting to blank what Damon was saying, even though it made sense.

'No, Stefan wouldn't - he would never -,' she tried to protest but she couldn't finish the sentence.

'Klaus would never have given me the cure for free,' Damon said softly, 'Stefan's paying a price.'

Elena sat down on the bed near him, turning her face away but not quick enough. Damon noticed the single tear that fell down her cheek and suspected there were more. He sat up further and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder.

'Elena we'll figure this out, we'll save him, I promise.'

Elena nodded and just for a moment slipped her hand over his and gripped it. Then she stood up.

'I just need a moment,' she said shakily and left before Damon could say anymore. He flopped back down on the bed and closed his eyes again.

When Elena returned, she thought he was asleep. She'd let a few tears escape down in the main living room but she'd realised that she wanted comfort not loneliness and right now she wanted it from only one person, no matter how bizarre it seemed. He should be the last person she wanted but he was the first on her list. Not wanting to wake him, she'd slipped onto the bed next to him, where she'd been not long ago holding him, and lay down.

'You ok?' he murmured, startling her.

'No,' she replied simply. He nodded.

'I know,' he said softly. He still hadn't opened his eyes and she wondered if he was half-asleep. She curled her fingers around his hand, wanting his comfort and he held her hand in return, stroking one thumb soothingly over it. It was a moment that would probably never have happened had their circumstances been different. But having nearly lost each other on more than one occasion, they needed this. This closeness. It was supposed to be between them. Damon knew it even if Elena hadn't quite realised it yet. He had no idea if she was ever supposed to love him like he did her but they were definitely meant to be there for each other no matter what.

They enjoyed only a few moments of peace before there was a loud knocking on the door followed by the sound of it crashing open. They exchanged a confused look and then Damon eased himself off the bed, ignoring Elena's protests. He felt so much better and one quick glance down at his arm showed the bite had almost disappeared.

Followed closely by Elena, he left the bedroom and made his way cautiously to the stairs, keeping Elena behind him.

'Elena? Damon?'

Damon breathed out a relieved sigh and heard Elena do the same as they both recognized Alaric's voice. In a flash Damon was downstairs and moments later Elena caught up.

'What's going on?' Damon demanded as he noticed how worried Alaric looked and spotted Jeremy sat forlornly on one of the sofas.

'We may have a huge problem,' said Alaric, throwing a nervous glance at Elena.

'What?' Damon asked.

'Jeremy's transitioning...'


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Another chapter! Enjoy :)**

...

**Two**

'Jeremy's transitioning,' Alaric said.

'WHAT!' Elena practically screamed and she threw herself past Damon, past Alaric and over to Jeremy who shrank back as she threw herself onto the sofa next to him and tried to look him in the eyes.

'Well we think,' Alaric said as Damon went to join Elena on the sofa.

'Why? What makes you think that?' Damon asked seriously, addressing Jeremy rather than Alaric.

'I'm hungry but nothing food wise at home was tempting me, I'm feeling very confused and a little dizzy and I'm starting to remember things that I'm not sure I should be,' Jeremy reeled off, trying to stop Elena from feeling his forehead.

'What are you remembering?' Damon asked. Jeremy was quiet for a moment.

'I remember you telling me to forget Vickie,' he said quietly, 'and to focus on my studies and my life ahead. That I would be ok eventually.'

Elena glanced at Damon. He was staring in concentration at Jeremy, his piercing ice blue eyes focused on Jeremy's. She knew he'd had something to do with Jeremy's sudden newfound determination to study hard and give up on the drugs and hard drinking but she'd never guessed that he'd tried to comfort her brother as well. Then again, Damon and Jeremy had a strange relationship.

Jeremy allowed Damon to take his head in his hands and look firmly into his eyes. Damon sighed.

'There's a good chance you are in transition,' he confirmed, 'we'll know for sure if you start finding peoples necks tempting.'

Elena tapped his arm in annoyance and pulled her brother towards her for a hug. Jeremy didn't resist this time.

'What do we do?' Alaric asked, almost helplessly.

'If he does become a vampire I'll help him through it,' Damon said firmly, 'but it'll just be one more problem.'

'You mean as well as Klaus and Elijah still being out there and being practically unbeatable?' Alaric said.

'Yep and Stefan going right alongside them,' Damon added, heading straight for his favourite bourbon.

'What?' Alaric and Jeremy chorused together, stunned. Damon explained briefly while Elena avoided eye contact with everyone in the room. There was a silence when he'd finished.

'We're screwed,' Jeremy finally said, 'Stefan can easily tell Klaus anything about us and then he can use it against us.'

'Surely he won't do that,' Alaric said hesitantly, 'he'll lie or something, he must still be on our side.'

Elena wanted to back him up, she really did. But she'd seen Stefan on human blood, he hadn't been himself. There was no telling what he would or would not do.

'It's Stefan on human blood, it'll be affecting him in a bad way,' Damon said, as if he'd read Elena's thoughts, 'we can't rely on the hope that he won't tell Klaus anything.' He tossed back the glass of bourbon he was holding and without really thinking about it, poured himself another.

'So we're screwed?' Jeremy said again.

'Maybe, maybe not,' Damon shrugged, 'either way, that's not what we should be focusing on right now. We need to concentrate on you.'

Elena and Alaric both nodded as they looked at Jeremy who shifted uncomfortably. As of late he didn't like being the centre of attention.

'Besides,' said Damon with a sudden smirk, 'if you do transition, that'll be one thing against them because Stefan has no idea.'

...

Stefan's lip curled in disgust as he took in the dank hotel room. Why Klaus had insisted on this detour was beyond him. The building was such a mess he was surprised it was still in business. The room they were in was cramped with one tiny bed in the corner, a cupboard with a broken door and a light that didn't work. It smelt damp and he could tell that to a human, it would be incredibly cold. He glanced across at Klaus who was looking out of the window with that dangerous smile on his face that made Stefan nervous. He still had no idea what Klaus was planning but anyone could guess it would not be good news.

He glanced at the one chair in the room and decided it would probably break if he sat on it. The bed was out of the question to. He didn't care that he was a vampire and immune to disease, he still didn't fancy sitting on the musty, yellowed sheets that were lying rumpled on the bed.

'Wondering why we're here?' Klaus murmured without turning from the window.

'Why are we here?' Stefan asked. Klaus turned his attention to the younger vampire.

'What can you sense?' he asked. Stefan stared at him and then extended his senses, feeling excitement as he felt the strength he now had from too much human blood. He sniffed the air tentatively and then grimaced as he recognized a smell underlying the damp air.

'Blood,' he noted. Klaus smirked.

'Obviously there's been another vampire here, stocking up,' he said cheerfully, 'go on what else can you sense?'

Stefan wondered if Klaus was testing him. Considering he still had no idea what Klaus's intentions were, it made it impossible for him to guess why Klaus wanted him around. He sniffed at the air again.

'Katherine,' he said suddenly as he picked up the tiniest hint of the perfume smell that had always clung to his former love. Klaus winked at him.

'She's trying to keep up her strength in the hope she can get away from me,' he said lazily, leaning against the window.

'You'd think she would have learned by now,' he smirked. Stefan said nothing.

'I want you to track her from here,' Klaus announced, looking Stefan straight in the eye, 'and when you do, I want you to tell me where she is so I can come to her myself.'

Stefan wondered what Klaus meant by that. Did he want Katherine alive or dead? Why couldn't he just bring Katherine to Klaus himself? But he accepted the job because it meant that just for awhile he could get away from Klaus.

'Stefan,' the original called as he made to leave the room, 'don't let me down because I will know and then you will truly learn the meaning of the word regret.'

...

'How can Jeremy be turning?' Elena asked in frustration, turning to Damon expectantly. He shrugged, But Jeremy and Alaric suddenly turned uneasy eyes on her and she looked at them questioningly.

'What?' she demanded.

'Elena I uh...I got shot,' Jeremy said hesitantly. Damon suddenly turned away from Elena but not quick enough. She saw the flash of distress in his eyes but she couldn't worry about it for now.

'What? By who?'

'Sheriff Forbes.'

'Why! Why would she want to shoot you?' Elena cried.

'She wasn't aiming for me, she missed her target,' Jeremy explained.

'What was she aiming for?'

Jeremy shook his head, unwilling to say anything more. He didn't blame Damon in the slightest for moving and letting him take the bullet, the vampire had been seriously sick and had had only one thing on his mind, getting to Elena before it was too late. But he couldn't guarantee that Elena would understand straight away and right now she needed Damon, even he could see that.

'Caroline tried to save me by feeding me her blood but it didn't work,' he continued, 'but Bonnie did a spell and basically brought me back.'

'So you must be transitioning because of Caroline's blood,' said Damon thoughtfully, still not making eye contact, 'you came back from the dead with vampire blood in your system and clearly it's taking effect.'

'Bonnie's going to freak,' said Jeremy miserably, 'she hates vampires.'

'Jeremy,' said Damon seriously, finally facing the others again, 'if we're right and you're transitioning that means you're not fully a vampire yet.'

Elena could feel tears in her eyes as she realised what Damon was saying.

'You have a choice to make,' Damon said.

'Whether to complete the transition or not,' Jeremy finished. He looked at his sister and this time it was he who pulled her back into a hug. How could he leave her? That wouldn't be fair and he was the only family she had left, even if they weren't technically related. On the other hand, did he really want to be a vampire? Could he handle Bonnie's hate of what he would become. Or would she still want to be with him regardless?

Just then he realised he could smell something sweet, something that was overpowering his senses slightly, something he found himself craving the moment he smelt it. He wondered if it was Elena's hair and pressed his face into it, wondering why he would be craving the taste of shampoo. Her hair had a nice scent to it but it wasn't what he was looking for. He nuzzled down until his mouth was hovering inches from her neck and then he pulled back abruptly and pushed Elena away hard, leapt from the sofa and backed into a corner before any of the others could stop him. Elena and Alaric looked shocked, Damon grim. He knew exactly what had just happened, had even prepared himself in case Jeremy hadn't pulled away in time.

'Elena, I'm sorry!' Jeremy gasped.

'For what?' she asked.

'Your blood. I could smell it and...I wanted it.' Jeremy leaned heavily against the wall and looked across at Damon.

'Oh,' Elena whispered.

'We don't have all the time in the world here,' Damon said, fixing Jeremy with his piercing gaze once again, 'this is your decision. You're in transition, do you want to complete it or not...?'


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Thank you for the reviews I've had so far :D here's the next chapter, enjoy!**

**Three**

Stefan was frustrated. He'd lost track of time searching for Katherine, not that he'd really been paying much attention to it anyway. When you were a vampire with an eternity ahead of you, time didn't seem to matter as much.

He'd been following her scent but clearly her years of running had turned her into an expert at covering her tracks. He could see no traces of where she might have been and the faint smell of her perfumed scent was fading, seeming to cut off in several different directions.

Worse still, Stefan was hungry. He knew exactly what he wanted and he hated himself for it. But he needed his senses to be sharper, his strength to increase. It was the only way to keep Klaus happy and ensure Elena and his brother stayed safe plus eventually it would be a bonus when they defeated Klaus.

These were the reasons he told himself as he sought out a pretty young girl, alone and smelling tasty. He told himself he didn't want to do this, it was just necessary, nothing to do with how much he wanted the taste of human blood again. The girl was shaking but he compelled her to stay where she was and with a sigh he bared his fangs and bit deep, ignoring her cries of protest. When he felt he had enough, he released her. Thanks to Elena and her daily dose of blood, his control was slightly stronger, so much so that he was able to restrain himself from draining the girl in front of him.

'You won't remember any of this,' he compelled her, 'go home.' She turned obediently and ran from him. Stefan sighed again. This was all for the people he loved, he told himself. He hoped that was the truth.

...

Elena was pacing on her front porch, unable to sit or relax as she stressed over the recent events. Jeremy had asked to go home and she and the others had obliged his request and brought him back. Asking for time alone Jeremy had retreated to his room. Damon and Alaric were inside as far as she knew and she was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't hear him come onto the porch until she walked right into him.

'Easy,' Damon smirked catching her arms to steady her.

'Sorry,' she muttered, moving past him and continuing to pace.

'Mind if I join you?' Damon asked, moving over to the porch swing.

'Sure, whatever,' Elena said distractedly. Damon settled himself on the porch swing and watched her.

'Elena you need to try and calm down a bit,' he said, knowing perfectly well that it would have the opposite effect and would get what he really wanted - Elena to let her stress out because it would help.

'Calm down!' she shouted, proving his theory right, 'Stefan is missing, Klaus is still out there and more dangerous than ever and I may be about to lose the only family I have left and I have no idea what to do or how to solve any of those problems. How do you expect me to stay calm?'

She kicked the wall of house, took a deep breath and then stopped right where she was in the middle of the porch.

'Everything's going so out of control and I don't know how to fix it,' she said quietly.

'You say that like you think it's all up to you,' Damon said softly, 'but if you look around you'll see that there are others who are willing to help fix it with you.'

'Like you?' Elena asked lifting her eyes to meet his. Damon nodded.

'Like me. Hell I owe Stefan my life so I've got no choice in that matter.'

Elena managed a small smile. She moved over and sat next to him on the swing.

'And Jeremy,' said Damon hesitantly, 'that's my fault to.' Elena looked at him sharply. She didn't need to ask him what he meant, the questioning look in her eyes was enough. Damon could feel the guilt inside him and he got off the swing, running a hand through his hair before turning back to her.

'Sheriff Forbes was aiming for me,' he said, 'Jeremy was helping me find you and we were in the grill. He was calling for help and she turned up with a gun and I panicked because I still hadn't found you so I ran and Jeremy was behind me. He got shot because of me.' The distress that had been in his eyes earlier when Jeremy had been telling the story was back. He was looking at her almost desperately now as though looking for forgiveness.

And he was. Nothing scared Damon more now that the idea of Elena hating him. He'd been through it before and once he hadn't cared. But after he'd 'killed' Jeremy the night Katherine came back, he'd regretted it almost instantly, and it had hurt him when he'd thought he'd really lost her for good. He couldn't handle the thought of it happening again. But as far as he was aware Jeremy was his fault and if Elena hated him for it, it was a consequence he would have to deal with. Mainly because he wouldn't have a choice.

Silence reigned between them for longer than Damon could stand but finally Elena spoke.

'Did you know he was behind you?'

'I don't really remember. I wasn't thinking straight, I was half out of my mind at that point,' Damon said, 'I ran without thinking. Elena I'm sorry. In any other circumstance I would never have let it happen. But I was out of it.'

Elena was quiet again, at a loss for what to say. She didn't know how to take this, whether to be angry at him or not.

'I just - I don't -' she began and then gave up because she didn't know what to say.

'I'm going to check on Jeremy,' she finally said and ran inside before Damon could say anything.

She found him in his room, sprawled on his bed with his headphones. He pulled them off as she entered.

'Don't come to close,' he said warningly but she ignored him and sat next to him on the bed. Jeremy remained tense for a moment and then he relaxed.

'Have you decided yet?' she asked. Jeremy shook his head.

'It's hard. I don't really want to turn into a creature that drinks blood for sustenance but there's so much that I don't want to give up yet. And I don't want to leave you alone.'

Elena smiled weakly.

'I don't want to lose you Jer. But this is your choice entirely and I don't want you to be miserable just so you can make me happy. Just know though that I don't think vampires are just creatures. Not all of them anyway. Some vampires are basically still human in my opinion, they're just slightly different. I know that you'd be one of them.'

There was a silence between them as Jeremy took in her words.

'Damon told me what happened,' Elena said quietly after a few minutes.

'Don't hate him for it Elena,' Jeremy said, 'he was really bad at that point, I'm not even sure he was fully registering who I was.'

'But he remembers now,' Elena said pointedly. Jeremy shrugged.

'Even so, all he wanted was to find you. That was probably the only sane thought in his mind. I don't blame him and I don't think you should either. We don't know exactly what he was going through.'

He made sense, Elena couldn't deny it. And if she was honest, she really didn't want to hate him anymore. She'd tried before but she hadn't been able to. Damon had been completely honest with her before, had told her the truth even though he could have hidden it from her. And she needed him right now, more than anyone else if she was completely honest with herself.

'Elena,' Jeremy said suddenly, startling her slightly, 'I've made my decision. But there's somewhere I have to go before I do it.'

'What is it?' Elena asked, her heart beginning to pound.

'I want to turn,' Jeremy said simply. Elena looked at him for a long moment and then threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

...

Jeremy knew he shouldn't be here, not in the condition he was in. His thirst for blood was becoming desperate now as his body struggled to transition but he forced his mind off it and focused instead on the faint light still glowing from Bonnie's window. He glanced around the garden and found a stone, picked it up and threw it neatly up. It bounced against the glass and fell back down to the ground.

There was a momentary pause and then Bonnie appeared at the window, looking half-asleep and confused as well as wary. When she saw Jeremy a smile lit her face and she slid her window open.

'What are you doing here?' she giggled. Jeremy smiled.

'I just needed to see you for a minute,' he answered.

'Would you like to come up?' Bonnie asked, opening the window fully.

'It's probably best that I don't,' Jeremy replied, his smile slipping. Bonnie studied him carefully.

'What's wrong?' she asked, concerned.

'I don't really know how to tell you,' said Jeremy.

'Wait, I'm coming down,' Bonnie said, making to move from the window but Jeremy shook his head vigorously.

'No don't!'

Bonnie looked at him, startled.

'What's going on?'

Jeremy sighed. The minute he knew for sure he was transitioning, his first worry had been Bonnie and what this might do to her. He knew he had to see her before he made his decision and he knew he would have to tell her eventually. He'd decided to tell her as soon as because he needed to know if she could handle this or not. If her basic reaction was the same as it was with other vampires then he would know that the best thing would be to stay away. He wanted to see her one more time before he became a vampire. She would find out soon enough anyway.

'Jeremy?' She was looking at him expectantly.

'Bonnie I - I'm - transitioning.'

'Transitioning?' she repeated blankly. Then her eyes widened.

'No, you can't be. It's not possible!'

'Damon thinks it's because I had vampire blood in my system when you brought me back. It's affecting me,' Jeremy explained. Bonnie shook her head, tears in her eyes.

'Are you serious?'

Jeremy simply nodded.

'But I don't want you to be - not you -' Bonnie tries to say but it was too much. It wasn't fair. For her and certainly not for Jeremy. She loved him. But she couldn't love a vampire. Could she?

'I can't deal with this,' she said softly, tears slipping from her eyes, 'I'm sorry Jeremy, I can't forgive vampires. They've done too much. I don't think I can bear to see you as one.'

'Don't worry. I get it,' Jeremy replied, amazed at how calm he was staying on the outside compared to the storm of emotion within him. They locked eyes for a moment and then Bonnie disappeared, shutting her window hard and pulling the curtains across, leaving Jeremy alone in her garden.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, thank youu for the reviews :D sorry about the delay, life's been a bit busy lately but here's chapter 4 and should have the next one up soon. Enjoy! and let me know what you think :)**

**...**

**Four**

Damon was seriously annoyed. He may owe his life to his brother but that didn't stop him from wanting to smash Stefan into a wall when he discovered the empty fridge in the cellar. He didn't actually know for sure if it was Stefan that had taken all the blood bags but there wasn't really anyone else that could have. Caroline got them from the Salvatores anyway and Katherine had left the boarding house pretty sharpish as far as he was aware. He'd listened to her leave when she'd left the bedroom. Which left Stefan or quite possibly Klaus or Elijah.

He headed back up to the main room and grabbed his jacket from a chair.

'Fridge is empty,' he announced shortly to Alaric who had come back to the house with him, 'I'm going to get more.'

'Empty?' Alaric repeated in disbelief, 'how?'

'I don't know. I think Klaus is behind it and I think Stefan took it.'

'Why would Stefan -' Alaric began and then he stopped at the pointed look Damon gave him.

'Right, Stefan on human blood,' he said dejectedly.

'Go back to Elena's and keep an eye on them. Jeremy should be fine until I get back but I can't guarantee that,' said Damon. Alaric nodded and they walked out into the garden and separated.

...

'Jer, I'm sorry about Bonnie,' Elena softly, joining her brother on the sofa. Jeremy had returned home a little while ago, flopped on the sofa and hadn't moved since. He'd told Elena what had happened when she'd persisted him and then he'd dozed off before Elena could really talk about it properly with him. He'd woken when Alaric returned and explained about the empty fridge and Damon going to find more blood bags. As the first rays of sunlight began to break through the curtains, Elena had decided to try and talk to Jeremy again.

'It's fine,' he replied tonelessly, 'I should probably have expected it.'

'Why?' Elena asked, surprised.

'Well she was off with you for awhile because you were dating Stefan, a vampire, and then she practically blew Caroline off at first because she'd become a vampire.'

'But she got over both of those. Give her time Jer, this won't be easy for her,' said Elena soothingly.

Jeremy pulled his knees up and rested his head on them in frustration.

'Everything ok in here?' Alaric asked from the doorway.

'Just some relationship issues,' Elena replied as she put a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder.

'Bonnie?' Alaric asked knowingly. Elena nodded.

'Any advice?' Jeremy asked, his voice muffled. Elena and Alaric didn't miss the slight hint of sarcasm in his voice though. Alaric opened his mouth and then closed it, at a loss for what to say.

...

'Bonnie! What's wrong?' Caroline exclaimed the moment she opened the door to her friend who had tears down her cheeks.

'I think I've just done something stupid,' Bonnie said miserably as she passed her friend and into the Forbes hallway.

'What did you do?' Caroline asked.

'Jeremy's transitioning into a vampire.' Caroline gasped but didn't interrupt.

'Your blood affected him when you brought him back. He came over to tell me and I just shut him out. Literally.'

'Bonnie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to change him.'

'It was an accident, I know that. He'll hate me now for what I've said though,' she sobbed.

Bonnie had regretted it all since she'd shut the window against Jeremy. But at the same time she couldn't face opening the window again to see if he was still there. She loved Jeremy. But how could she be with him if he was a vampire. Even if she didn't have her fear of vampires between them, she was a witch and she knew that now if Jeremy touched her or she him, that icy cold feeling that vampires gave her would flood through her, reminding her every time of what he was. Her emotions were in serious conflict.

But when Caroline put her arms around Bonnie reassuringly, that scary feeling flashed through her for the briefest of moments and then it faded.

'He won't hate you,' Caroline said, 'Jeremy's not like that. I'm sure he understands that this is difficult for you. You need to talk to him.'

'But even if I got over him being a vampire I still don't know if we can be together. You and Matt loved each other and you had to break it off,' Bonnie argued.

'I was new and scared at that point. I didn't even know vampires existed until I became one and that made it harder. I broke it off with Matt to protect him because he didn't know either and I didn't want him to. But you and Jeremy both know and I think you could make this work.'

Bonnie was quiet for a moment as she contemplated Caroline's words. Her friend was right, she and Jeremy did have more chance than Caroline and Matt had. Stefan and Elena were managing it. But then she shook her head.

'I just don't know if I could ever be around him comfortably now. I'm always going to be wondering if there's a part of him that wants my blood,' she said quietly.

'Do you wonder that about me?' Caroline asked.

'Yes,' Bonnie answered truthfully, 'and I'm sorry but I can't help it. And even if I got over that, there's still the fact that Jeremy will have to leave Mystic Falls eventually. Vampires never stay in one place too long, I got that from Stefan.'

'You could move with him,' Caroline offered. Bonnie shook her head again.

'I don't want that. I don't know if I want to stay here forever but I do want to settle down somewhere eventually.'

Caroline shrugged helplessly, at a loss for what to say. It seemed that Bonnie was determined to shoot down any chance of the relationship working but Caroline could understand her friend's fear. There wasn't much else she could say, this was something that Bonnie would have to work out with Jeremy.

'You need to talk to him,' she repeated, more firmly this time. Bonnie could only nod and managed a small smile to show she appreciated her friend's advice. But she still couldn't help thinking that her relationship with Jeremy was over.

...

She was here, somewhere. Stefan could smell her, could sense that familiar presence that he now wanted nothing to do with. His search had taken him to more dilapidated hotels and run down houses where Katherine appeared to be feeding, obviously hoping that Klaus would never think to look there. Vampires tended to seek the luxuries of life and Katherine was no different.

Her trail had led him through a little wood, to the ruins of some sort of building although it was more a pile of rubble now. Why Katherine might be there was beyond him. But as he continued, her scent led him past the rubble and to the edge of the wood where the trees were just as thick so he could barely see what was beyond them. But the trail stopped abruptly and her presence was overwhelming and Stefan found himself scanning the surrounding area intently but with no success. There was no sign of her anywhere.

'Hello Stefan.'

Stefan whirled around, dropping into a defence stance in case she went for him. But once again he saw nothing. Annoyed, he turned back, still fully alert.

'Try looking somewhere other than straight ahead,' the voice mocked. Automatically Stefan looked up. Katherine was perched on a tree branch right above him, looking completely at ease as she smiled that smile that meant trouble. It seemed to be the only smile she knew.

She stood up and leapt lightly from the branch, landing right in front of him, too close for his liking.

'Katherine,' said Stefan stiffly by way of greeting. She smirked.

'What are you doing here Stefan? Wait let me guess, Klaus sent you to bring me back.'

'Pretty much,' Stefan replied, stepping forward slightly. Katherine smiled playfully and backed away just a little bit.

'And what, he expects me to just come quietly with you?' she asked.

'Probably not,' said Stefan bitterly. He strongly suspected that Klaus had sent him after Katherine merely for amusement, possibly to test him. If Klaus desperately wanted Katherine back he could easily have caught her probably in the space of a few hours.

'Good because that would make this game too easy,' said Katherine.

'Do you see everything as a game?' Stefan asked incredulously, 'you're probably running for your life here, who knows what Klaus will do to you when he gets you back.'

'And that's why I'd rather see it as a game right now,' said Katherine seriously, her smile gone now, 'it makes it just a little bit easier not to panic. I've been running from Klaus for a long time Stefan, it's not exactly new to me.'

'But Klaus is stronger now,' Stefan retorted, 'I don't think it'd take him long to track you down.'

'But he's sent you which means you're playing this game with me right now,' said Katherine, her playful smile returning, 'so I'm running from you and I like my odds.'

'Well, you've been playing games with me for a long time Katherine, it's not exactly new to me,' Stefan replied, a smile of his own flickering across his lips.

'Touché,' said Katherine appreciatively, 'let's see how good you are then.'

She backed away, back into the wood, grinning now.

'Come get me Stefan!' she called and with that she sped off, disappearing almost instantly.

Stefan growled in frustration. Katherine was older and a hell of a lot faster than him and the events only fuelled his belief that Klaus had sent him for a laugh. Still he had no choice and so he set off in the direction she had taken.

...

Damon's trip to the blood bank had been successful, he had managed to grab enough blood to hopefully last Jeremy and himself a week. Stuffing some in his pockets and clutching the rest in one hand, he quietly eased the door of the bank open and slipped outside, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He hoped that the fact no one had text or tried to call was a good thing and that Jeremy was still controlling himself. Opening up a new text, he began texting Alaric for an update just in case when the sound of a footstep caused him to look up sharply.

He was facing the end of a gun, a gun held in the steady hands of Sherriff Forbes.


	5. Chapter 5

**I know it's taken me an age to update again, so sorry! My internets been mucking up but it should be ok now so I will definitely try and update sooner :) hope you guys are enjoying this and thank you again for the reviews i'm getting i really appreciate them :) enjoy!**

**...**

**Five**

'Elena have you heard from Damon?' Alaric asked, coming into Elena's room where she was sat on her bed.

'No, why?' Elena asked curiously.

'Well it's been awhile and I thought he'd probably be back by now,' Alaric shrugged, 'he's not answering his phone either.' Elena made to answer when the doorbell rang.

'That could be Damon,' she said hopefully jumping off the bed.

'I doubt it,' Alaric replied as she passed him in the doorway.

'Why?'

'Damon doesn't exactly bother with the doorbell anymore does he?' said Alaric pointedly. Elena couldn't really argue with that but she didn't reply and made her quickly to the door. It was Caroline.

'Hey, is Bonnie here?' she asked following Elena into the kitchen. Elena shook her head.

'She and Jeremy are having kind of a rough time,' she said vaguely.

'I know, the whole Jeremy transitioning thing,' said Caroline sheepishly, 'Elena I'm so sorry, it's my fault but I was only trying to save him and-' Elena held up a hand quickly silencing her friend.

'Caroline it's okay really, I know what happened and I know you were only trying to help.'

Caroline sighed with relief, she'd been dreading her friend's reaction.

'Where is he anyway?'

'He's in his room. He's worried about what he might do so he's basically hiding from us until Damon gets back,' Elena replied.

'You wouldn't happen to know where he is would you?' Alaric asked casually, joining them.

'Damon? No, is he missing?'

'He went to get more blood bags because the ones at the boarding house have gone,' Elena explained, 'but that was awhile ago.'

Elena didn't want to worry, she was almost sure Damon would be okay, he almost always was. But maybe he still hadn't quite recovered from the bite yet. Maybe something was wrong. Maybe he'd finally had enough of everything going wrong and had simply left Mystic Falls. She shook her head slightly. She wasn't going to worry yet.

'Give it an hour and then we look for him,' she said decisively.

...

'Liz,' said Damon calmly looking at her and not the gun in her hands.

'Damon,' Liz replied, equally calmly. He had to hand it to her, she hid her fear well. Her hands were steady and there was a determined look on her face and in her stance, braced and ready for action. But her eyes gave her away. She was definitely nervous and clearly on edge.

'What are you doing?' he asked her.

'I know what you are Damon,' she said, gripping the gun tighter, 'Caroline told me everything.'

'So I'm guessing you know she's just like me,' said Damon. Liz shook her head.

'She tried to save Jeremy's life. You didn't. The bullet was meant for you but you let him take it.'

Damon winced. Her words were sharp and they affected him more than he would ever show. Liz saw the flash of regret in his eyes though and stared questioningly at him.

'I wasn't right then Liz. I was sick, there are a few people who can tell you that. I would never have let that happen if I'd been ok.'

'What was wrong with you?' Liz asked sharply. Damon hesitated. But she'd been kept in the dark too long he decided and this was the second time she'd found out the truth. By the sounds of it she was trying to deal with the truth about Caroline. Maybe she was ready to deal with all of it. If it came to it he could always erase her memories again if he had to.

'I was dying from a werewolf bite,' said Damon simply, 'it was messing me up.'

'Werewolf?' Liz repeated looking shocked, 'but their just myth and legend, creatures in books.'

'People say that about vampires,' Damon shrugged, 'and yet here we are.'

Liz opened her mouth and then closed it, completely at a loss for what to say. A slight tremble began in her hands but apart from that she remained composed, her eyes never leaving Damon's. Deciding she didn't want to deal with the werewolf information just yet she changed tack.

'What are you doing here?'

Damon held up the blood bags he was holding.

'One reason you can still trust me. As a vampire I need blood but these mean I don't have to drink from humans. It's the same for Caroline,' he said.

'And Stefan?' Liz asked uncertainly. Damon bit his lip.

'It's complicated with Stefan right now. But he's skipped town so I wouldn't let that concern you.'

Liz shook her head. It was all feeling like a little too much right now and she wasn't sure how much she could take.

'Liz,' said Damon gently, 'I really need to go. Someone needs my help.'

'Who?' said Liz not budging. Damon felt a prick of frustration and knew that there just wasn't time to try softening the blow he was about to deliver.

'Jeremy's still in trouble. He's becoming a vampire,' he said bluntly.

The gun slipped from Liz's fingers and clattered to the floor.

'No. No Caroline said he was ok...' she said, her voice practically a whisper.

'We thought he was and he will be, he'll just...be a vampire,' said Damon, 'Liz we need to talk about all this but I promise you that I am still you're friend. You can trust me.' He took a step towards her but as he did her hand flew to her back pocket and she pulled out a stake, holding it straight at him. Damon stayed quiet, watching the conflict in her eyes as she looked him up and down. Then, under her gaze, he bent down slowly, picked up her gun in his free hand, straightened up and held it out to her. It took her a moment but finally Liz lowered the stake and took the gun from him with a slight nod of her head.

'It's going to take time for me to get used to this,' she said tensely, 'but I'm sure I can get there, depending on what happens.'

Damon nodded. He understood. Liz finally stepped aside to let him pass and with that he set off for the Gilbert house.

...

'Hour's almost up,' said Alaric, appearing in Elena's doorway. She and Caroline were sat on her bed, talking. Caroline watched a flicker of worry cross her friend's face before it was gone. Elena took a breath and turned to Alaric.

'Then we need to look for him.'

'Look for who?' said a voice from the doorway. Jeremy stood there tentatively, clearly still trying to keep distance from her.

'Damon,' Elena replied, 'we think he should have been back by now and he's not answering his phone.'

'So let's get going,' said Caroline determinedly. She got up and headed for the doorway.

'We'll get you some blood somehow,' she said to Jeremy as she passed, 'you'll be fine.' Jeremy nodded.

'I'll wait in my room,' he said and followed her out with Alaric. Elena made to follow and then grabbed her phone, decided to call one more time. She was startled when the sound of Damon's phone came from outside her window. She pulled it open properly and stepped back as Damon appeared, leaping lightly over the sill.

'Damon,' she breathed and threw her arms around him before she even knew what she was doing. Surprised and unable to hug back because of the bags in his hands, Damon waited for her to pull away which she did fairly shortly.

'What's up?' he asked.

'You were gone longer than we thought you should have been and then you weren't answering your phone and...'

'You were worried,' Damon finished, a slightly cocky smile on his lips, 'Elena I'm touched.'

Elena tapped his arm lightly.

'Maybe. Where were you?'

Before Damon could answer, Caroline came back in.

'Elena are you ready to-' she broke off as she spotted Damon.

'Oh, you found him,' she said. Damon smirked.

'Where the hell were you?' Caroline demanded.

'I was held up by your mom funnily enough,' Damon retorted, 'when exactly did you plan on telling me she knows everything?'

Caroline glared at him and said nothing.

'Damon I'm sorry, I should have told you but you were sick and I didn't think you'd really be bothered about it at that point,' said Elena.

'Is my mom ok?' Caroline asked quickly.

'She may need some comforting,' said Damon seriously, 'this is a lot for her, she knows about Jeremy now. But I think she'll be ok.'

'I'm going to go to her,' said Caroline. She said goodbye and took off quickly. Damon glanced at Elena and held up a blood bag. She got the point immediately and led him to Jeremy's bedroom, indicating that he was inside.

'I'll handle it,' Damon muttered when Jeremy didn't open the door and with that he simply let himself in, closing the door against her. A moment later he opened it again and Elena felt her stomach clench at the expression on his face.

'What is it?'

His ice blue eyes found hers.

'He's gone.'


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, so I know it's taken me wayyyyyyy to long to update this :/ ive had so much going on that i never had any time to properly focus on my fiction but I'm trying to get back into it now :D if you'd like me to continue this fiction pleasee review and let me know what you think and whether I should :) for now here's the next chapter, seeing as the third season is now pretty much over this fiction is probably going to go its own way and will focus on Damon and Elena and Jeremy probably with Klaus and Stefan and Katherine and some other characters from season three :) hope you enjoy, also I've started a vampire diaries/hunger games crossover so please check it out and review, let me know what you think of it and whether I should continue :) thanks guys, enjoy and review!**

**...**

**Six**

It didn't take Damon long to find Jeremy, years of living the way he had had made him an expert tracker. If Damon wanted to find you he usually would. The only problem that had been playing on his mind about this was that Stefan was well aware of this fact and had picked up several tricks from the times Damon had tracked him down that helped him to avoid Damon just that little bit longer the next time. Now that he was with Klaus it seemed like an impossible mission trying to find them. Damon wasn't even sure where to start. But right now his mind was on Jeremy and he soon found him in the woods near the tomb, sat with his back to a tree in the spot where he had once hung out with Vicki and her friends. Damon moved quietly to sit beside him noting that Jeremy no longer tensed when he was around him anymore. If anything Damon's presence was comforting to Jeremy right now although he'd never admit it. Damon might have not have meant for it to happen but he was something of an older brother to Jeremy now.

'You know, I've got blood at home now if you fancy coming back,' said Damon lightly. Jeremy flinched.

'Have you changed your mind?' Damon asked. Jeremy shook his head.

'No. I don't want Elena losing anyone else. We said we'd be there for each other and I don't want to let her down.'

'It's a big sacrifice on your part Jer, I won't lie,' said Damon honestly.

'I know that,' said Jeremy nodding, 'but I'm still choosing to turn. It's my choice.'

'So why did you take off?' Damon asked curiously.

'I had to get out. All I could smell was...' Jeremy cut off, not wanting to finish.

'I know,' said Damon, a hint of sympathy in his voice, 'but that's not what's bothering you most is it?'

Jeremy stayed quiet for a moment.

'I'm scared,' he finally said, 'the minute I drink that stuff, my life changes. I guess I just wanted one last moment before I...turn.'

'Jeremy, I think you're life already has. Probably from the moment you found out vampires existed. It is scary at first. But honestly, I think you're going to be fine. I don't think it's going to take you that long to get control. You're a good kid Jeremy.'

Jeremy smiled.

'You're a good guy Damon. You just keep masking it with that badass act of yours.'

'It's not entirely an act,' Damon winked, 'you ready for this?'

'I think so,' said Jeremy tensely, 'I just don't want to do it near Elena or anything, y'know?'

'It's lucky then that I brought one with me in case,' said Damon, pulling a bag from his pocket and opening it. Jeremy eyed it with a mixture of disgust and longing. It smelled good and he hated that. Damon handed him the bag and offered to retreat a little way to give Jeremy time.

He took a deep breath, gripped the bag in his hands and lifted it to drink.

...

The office was quiet as was usual at that time of evening, night was closing in and most people had gone home. The usual officers were out and about the town keeping an eye on things but as far as Sherriff Forbes was aware, the vampire activity had been quiet, or, now that she thought about it, had obviously been raging on completely undetected. She sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration. Life had been easier when all vampires had simply been the enemy and her first instincts were to shoot. Now her own daughter and one of her closest friends were vampires asking for her trust and not only that but she'd helped to create another from someone she cared about. If Mayor Lockwood found out she'd probably have her stripped of her Sherriff title in minutes.

Leaning forwards she rested her head on her arms and took several calming breaths. The sudden burst of sound from her walkie talkie that ripped through the silence caused her to jerk upright and nearly off her chair.

'Vampire sighting!' a voice cried urgently. Liz recognised it as Dominic, one of the new members of the force and the first in awhile to be let in on the vampire secret.

'Where?' came another voice, Sam, one of the best in Liz's opinion.

'The woods, near the old church and tombs,' Dominic replied, his voice suddenly much quieter. Liz guessed he was closing in. She felt her chest tighten and grabbed the walkie talkie from the desk.

'Description? How can you be sure their vampires?' she asked urgently.

'I can see a bloodbag,' Dominic replied, 'one guy with dark hair, leather jacket, looks like Damon Salvatore? The other looks like a kid, brown hair, looks a little scared.'

'Jeremy,' Liz muttered.

'What?'

'Nothing,' said Liz quickly.

'He's going to drink it!' came Sam's voice suddenly, clearly he'd found his way to Dominic, 'I'm taking aim!'

'No!' Liz yelled but it was too late, the sound of a shot rang out through the walkie talkie.

...

The bloodbag burst in Jeremy's hand spraying him and Damon with the dark red liquid. A second shot zipped across the wood catching Damon in the arm and he stifled a cry as he felt the piercing pain of a wooden bullet. A third caught Jeremy in his shoulder and Damon pushed him to the ground before anymore could hit him.

'Don't move vampires!' a voice called threateningly through the woods.

'Sam,' Damon replied cheerfully sitting up slightly but still keeping himself between Sam and Jeremy.

'What the hell Damon?' Sam asked his voice shaking slightly.

'Long story,' Damon said with a grin. Then he pulled the bullet out of his arm with a sharp intake of breath at the pain, tossed it away, stood and flashed across to Sam in a matter of seconds. With one neat tap to Sam's head he knocked the cop unconscious. With a satisfied smile he turned and felt himself go cold all over. There was another cop kneeling right next to Jeremy, a stake in his hand, someone Damon only recalled having met once.

'NO!'

Damon was aware of having shouted himself but so had someone else. Sherriff Forbes came out of nowhere and tackled Dominic just as he stabbed the stake down into Jeremy causing him to cry out several times before going silent.

Damon streaked over in a blur of black and slammed Dominic against a tree causing him to go limp. Letting him fall to the ground he turned to Liz who was looking at Jeremy in horror.

Damon fell to the teen's side and without thinking gripped the stake and pulled it out.

'Jeremy,' he said urgently, tapping Jeremy's cheek. There was no response.

'Damn it,' he muttered. He took Jeremy's wrist and felt for a pulse, relief sweeping through him when he felt a faint one flickering beneath his fingers. Checking the damage he noted that the stake had missed Jeremy's heart but he was still in danger. He needed blood. His eyes travelled over Dominic but he knew that in the state Jeremy was now in, chances were he would drain a person dry without even meaning to and Damon needed Liz on his side. So without wasting another second, he picked Jeremy up and disappeared before Liz could even open her mouth to protest.

...

'Bonnie!' said Elena surprised, as she opened her door to her best friend.

'Hey,' said Bonnie quietly, 'is Jeremy here?'

'No, he's out with Damon somewhere,' said Elena, 'at least I hope he's with Damon,' she murmured, more to herself.

'I need to talk to him,' said Bonnie, 'is he...a vampire yet?'

'No but he will be. He wants to turn Bonnie so he can still help us out. He's willing to deal with a lifetime of being a vampire so he can still be with us. With you,' said Elena.

'I know. But it's a part of who I am now that I just can't trust vampires. No matter who they are. As a witch I'm not supposed to trust them, I'm supposed to destroy them.'

'What about Emily? She worked for Katherine and looked after Anna and that back in 1864,' said Elena pointedly.

'She didn't trust them though. She told Damon she'd help him but she didn't in the end remember? And he almost killed me for that,' Bonnie argued.

Elena couldn't think of what to say to that. She was saved from having to respond however due to the front door suddenly slamming open, revealing Damon and an unconscious Jeremy covered with blood.

'What happened!' she cried as Damon moved past her to the sofa and deposited Jeremy softly.

'Sherriff Forbes's vampire patrol,' Damon growled, 'Elena quick get a blood bag, there's a chance he may not pull through this, even less of one the longer we delay.'

Elena tore out of the room as fast as she could, past Bonnie who stood shaking in the doorway and flew to the fridge where Damon had stored the blood. She dashed back and chucked the bag to Damon. He opened it and let the blood trickle onto Jeremy's lips. When he did nothing, Damon pushed the lip of the bag against his mouth, forcing the liquid in.

Jeremy coughed suddenly, gasped several times and then went quiet again.

'Jeremy?' Damon asked tensely. He grabbed Jeremy's wrist again. All was quiet beneath his skin. Damon couldn't feel anything. Tensely he stood and turned to the others, trying to ignore the pale colour in Elena's face and the fear in her eyes, the unshed tears in Bonnie's eyes.

He took a breath, steeling himself to give them the worst...when Jeremy went hurtling past him at vampire speed and pinned Bonnie to the wall...


End file.
